Rare Creatures
by WinterDrake
Summary: Working as a keeper for exotic animals, Petra spies her employer bringing in a new animal in the dead of the night. Unsettled, she decides not to mention what she saw to him. Strangely, her employer does not mention anything about a new animal to her. Just what kind of creature has he brought that he is trying to keep it a secret?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Miss Ral, I see that you are, once again, playing with the merchandise." A male voice drawled as its owner watched the young woman tease a young lion cub with a piece of rope. The three month old albino cub would jump for the rope when it was dangled above him but would always miss as it was quickly moved away. The hand holding the makeshift rope over the small cage almost dropped it in surprise at the voice.

Petra Ral winced and turned around from her kneeling position to see her employer, Archie Quentin, looking at her with a frown. He was sharply dressed in a black suit, likely having come back from some event. His short brown hair had been slicked back and looked greasy in the dusk light. In contrast, Petra was wearing a brown shirt and trousers which had seen better days. As the young woman took care of animals all day, she did not wear anything nicer often. It was also cleaning day for the barn and animal enclosures so she chose to wear the oldest pair of clothes in her small wardrobe.

"I do not pay you to waste time, I pay you to do your job." The man continued. Petra Ral sighed internally at being caught once again as she tried to make the lives of the animals in their cages a little more enjoyable. It was a good thing was that she was prepared this time. She stood up, dropping the piece of rope on the ground and brushing the dirt from her clothing.

"I apologize, sir." She bowed her head in an apologetic manner to emphasize this. "I believe playing with the animals makes them happier considering their circumstances. If the animals are happy and playful, I'm sure potential buyers would be more willing to purchase them over sullen beasts that do nothing but lie in their cages."

"Hmm? Well… I suppose that is true. You do finish all the tasks assigned to you even when you slack. And you are much better than the previous man I hired." The man paused as if pondering. "As long as it does not interfere with the rest of your duties then you can carry on. The faster I get rid of these beasts, the better."

"You allow me to continue then, sir?" Petra asked just to make sure he was really was serious.

"I will but see to it that your work is always finished." With that, Archie turned to walk away from Petra and the courtyard they were in, back towards the manor.

The ginger haired woman smiled in relief at his departure. She could not afford to lose this job. Her father's health depended on it. Petra turned back to the small cub to see that it had found a small rock to play with in its small enclosure. The enclosure was a roughly square shaped metal cage who's top could be opened and closed with a key. There were several cages like this of different sizes in the courtyard. The only one occupied at the moment was the one with the lion cub but previously there had been a bear living in one of the larger cages. The bear did not stay long, having been sold within a week of its arrival.

Petra was a keeper for animals who were bought and sold by her employer, Archie. She worked on an estate near the edges of the city and far enough away from her own home that she would have to live on her employer's land as she worked. Petra's father often sent letters asking how she was doing and the young woman always made sure to reply to them as soon as possible. She was given two days off every other week to visit her home while someone else took over. The temporary keeper did not do a very good job so Petra was always hesitant to leave him in charge of the animals.

Originally, when bought by Archie, the estate's only intact buildings were the manor and the horse barn which was close by. The other buildings had been destroyed by a fire which had also ruined most of the forest and the prime farming ground of the land as well. Archie had no interest in the forest or farmland and ended up buying the estate at a cheap price thanks to the damage. All the man needed to do was renovate and add a few buildings to have things suit his needs. The new buildings he required were built right next to the existing ones to create an open courtyard. The placement would make it harder for animals to escape if they got out of their cages or the barn.

The east side of the courtyard bordered the barn with the servant's living quarters in the corner between the barn and the gate on the north side. The south side bordered the food cellar, a second cellar created for rarer and more dangerous beasts and the make-shift aviary. The aviary had once been part of the barn but it had been remodeled to hold birds. The west side bordered Archie's manor and and the guard's quarters nestled in the corner between his home and the gate. The gate was both tall and wide, made of dark metal and could be opened to allow carriages and larger beasts in cages entrance.

Just a keeper for animals, Petra slept in the servant's quarters near the gate, which was currently only occupied by her. When the temporary keeper came, he would take another room in the same building for the two days he usually stayed. As Archie had bought the estate cheap and then cheaply converted it to his needs, many things, like Petra's current quarters and additions to the barn, had been crudely and hastily built. Somehow everything seemed to have worked out, though the shoddy workmanship would likely cause problems in the future. Petra's room wasn't the most comfortable place to stay with it being rather bare, cramped and always having a chill but she endured it.

Closing and locking the cub's cage, Petra decided she had played with him enough and left for the barn. She still needed to clean out the horse stalls and change the food and water in the aviary. She only opened the cage to play with the cub as it seemed lonely. The giner-haired woman was careful not to get her hands too close to the animals though. Petra had learned quickly that no matter how cute or gentle an animal looked at the moment, it could turn on you in an instant. The woman still had a scar on her left arm, courtesy of a young tigress. As she made her way to her next destination, the young woman reminded herself that she would only need to be here for another three months. After that she would be free of this place and back at home with her father.

* * *

 _This is another fic I've had sitting around for a year or so. Maybe posting it will give me the incentive to finish it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Mail was delivered once a week to Archie's estate. Petra always made sure to finish writing her letters before the mail carrier came. The man would not wait for her to write them and barely glanced at her before taking her letters. He didn't think much of the 'animal's servant'.

In the dim, flickering light of the candle sitting on her desk, Petra finished writing her response to Alexander Ral's latest message. In it, her father mentioned how much he missed her and hoped she would be able to come home soon. He said he felt better. Petra truly hoped so.

Petra's father sent a letter, sometimes two, every week and he always sounded quite worried for her. Petra was nineteen and her father considered her too young to be working so hard and so far from home. Petra felt terrible that she worried him so much but she needed this job. She needed to work to help him.

The ginger-haired girl responded in her own letter that she would soon save up enough to get home and to not worry so much and take care of himself. She didn't mention that she didn't live in Archie's manor like he thought she did. She didn't mention that she was lonely or that no one really talked to her here. The guards didn't really like her and thought her lower than them. The girl never really saw the maids of the manor and only saw the cooks on occasion when she needed some food for her 'house'. Petra had a little storage space inside her quarters where she kept flour, water and other things that were not as perishable as meat or dairy products. Any of the perishables she ended up keeping in the cellars where the meat for the animals was stored.

Her father liked hearing of the animals she took care of so she would always mention them in her letters. Some of the more interesting animals currently in Petra's care were the lion cub, a crane, a zebra and two macaws. She also took care of the horses, dogs, cats and other more common animals of the manor. During her first day here, Petra had taken care of a rare white tiger before it had passed away from the neglectfulness of the previous caretaker. There had been many more animals but they had been bought, she fervently hoped, as pets.

Petra finished up the letter and sealed it with a sigh. She missed her father. As she dressed for bed she recalled how she came to be here.

* * *

Alexander Ral became ill. The illness started out as a small cold that lasted an unusually long time. Nothing Petra's father tried could cure it but it did not affect him and his work too much at that time.

Though he and his daughter lived on a farm, Mr. Ral worked in the nearby city of Karanese as a teacher while Petra took care of the animals and crops. It was not too hard of a job for the young woman as the farm was small. Petra ended up having a lot of free time to visit the city after taking care of everything at home. It took about half an hour on horseback to travel to Karanese, which wasn't too long. Her father was alright with her wandering as long as Petra stayed out of trouble and came home before nightfall.

Mr. Ral waved his daughter off when she began to notice how his cough never truly went away. Petra wanted him to see a doctor, and soon. However, the older man just believed all he had was just a series of minor colds and that he would be well again soon. At his daughter's insistence, he did end up seeing a doctor who said just the same. Petra was relieved and did not bother her father about it any longer.

But the cough never went away and sometimes Mr. Ral had trouble breathing. After two months of this, when the summer season began and Mr. Ral had a break from his teaching job, Mr. Ral's health deteriorated rapidly in the span of a few unusually cold and stormy days. He still did not want to worry his daughter so he said it was nothing too serious and he would see the doctor for it the next day. Truly though, he had lost his appetite and could not down anything even if he tried. He had a pounding headache and all his joints ached.

The next morning, to Petra's horror, Mr. Ral fainted as he tried to get out of bed. Petra could not rouse him for some time and when she did, her father was too weak to walk. Petra, terrified she would lose a second parent, rushed to a doctor. After another doctor examined her father, she was told that her father needed a strong and costly medicine to cure him of the sickness he had caught. The medication would have to be taken over the course of six months. The doctor also said that Mr. Ral would need as much rest as possible during recovery.

Petra and her father ended up using all of their savings to pay for two months worth of the medicine. It was all they could afford unless they wanted to sell the house and the animals which they just couldn't do. They needed a roof over their heads and could not sell the animals as they needed them for food.

The medicine helped her father but he was still very weak, getting dizzy often if walked too too much. Petra was saddened to see her father in such a state and knew she needed to get a job, and fast. Her father wanted to work but Petra would not hear of it. She told him she would work and pay for everything until he was better.

The young woman had scoured the city for a suitable job. Friends of the family offered to help, which would ease up the burden a bit but it would still not be enough. A month passed with Petra just finding a few odd jobs here and there. Most people refused to hire her outright due to her age or gender.

Eventually Petra found a man willing to hire her and pay her a very decent wage. A good friend, an older married man named Eld, offered her his help getting a job as a caretaker for exotic animals. She would be paid well and live on an estate outside the city where the animals were kept. Eld warned her about the type of man Mr. Quentin was, an arrogant man looking to become part of the higher class, but that it would be better than any job she could find in the city with her age and experience.

Eld gave Petra several books on animals and lied to Archie, just a little, about the experience she had. With Eld's help, Archie hired Petra. The ginger-haired girl was nervous but Eld assured her she would be okay and that all the animals would be kept in cages. Petra made sure to study all the books her friend gave her.

The young woman arrived at her new home two weeks later. She had a hard time convincing her father to agree to this but he knew he had no choice. She would be okay, she told him. Their neighbors offered to check up on Mr. Ral and help him around the house so he would not be left alone.

The job was hard work, and a little dangerous at times, but Petra did everything to the best of her ability. The bigger animals were kept in their cages throughout their stay so all the girl really needed to do was feed them and try and clean their cages. Normally she had to use a broom or other long instrument to do so without getting attacked. Petra tried to let the smaller animals roam around a little every once in while but had to be careful that they did not escape.

The woman could never get herself to like Archie. She found that he was too full of himself. He didn't treat her with respect and expected her to keep quiet as he talked about himself. The man did not care much for the animals he bought and sold. Archie just wanted money and recognition.

Archie's estate was near Karanese, the center of trade in the country. Because of this, most of the animals were usually bought at the latest within a few months. Most often by the upper class. Mr. Quentin spent many days attending events with nobles and promoting his business and animals.

The man was usually gone for a week or two, sometimes even longer, every so often to find and purchase more animals. Archie had once gone on a trip to purchase several old lions from a failing circus and then turned around to sell them to a noble for triple the price. He also liked going to parties and social gatherings whenever possible. As the exotic pet industry was booming thanks to dangerous pets being the new trend, he had been making quite the profit from buying and reselling those animals.

* * *

Petra blinked as she heard the a loud howl from outside. A small pack of wolves lived near the estate. Recently, their howls had become almost mournful, like they were calling for the pack member they had lost to Archie last week. The captured wolf had been bought within a few days. Petra hadn't asked what would be done do it.

The woman felt terrible for the animals but there was nothing she could do other than take care of them to the best of her ability. Better her than another person who would neglect or abuse them like the previous caretaker had.

The ginger-haired woman spent most of her time with the animals or wandering around the the estate in her free time. The animals were much better company than any human in the estate, Petra thought before blowing out the candle to get to bed.

* * *

 _I'm finally getting back to this story! I am working on another fic for a different fandom and some elements of that story are similar to this one. That was enough motivation to get me to work Rare Creatures again. ;p_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It had been a week since Petra's encounter with Archie and she stood in front of the lion cage once again. She stroked the little lion's head for the last time. He had been bought today. The young woman couldn't help the pang of sadness she felt. She had grown fond of the cub. The lion seemed to like her as well. He would always get excited and purr when she would come by. Petra was likely the closest thing to a mother it had right now.

The man who purchased the lion was not terribly rich. He wanted to buy his little boy an extra special pet for his twelfth birthday. The father somehow thought a lion would be the best choice. Petra thought this was foolish as lions were not animals that could be suitable house pets. No matter how you raised them, they would still have the instincts of a wild animal and needed more than what the boy and his father could provide.

When they saw the little lion, the father and son had been delighted to learn that the cub was very approachable. He liked to play and purr and won the heart of father and son instantly. It was a quick purchase after that. Archie had been very pleased and grinned the entire time.

Petra gently picked up the little cub by the scruff of his neck and placed him in small cage to carry him in. The cub bat at her trying to get her to play with him but she did not have time. His new owners were waiting outside.

Petra sighed but she knew this was for the best. She would rather have the cub go to the father and son rather than have him stay here in his tiny cage and end up somewhere far worse. As she headed out of the courtyard, all Petra could hope for was that the cub would be treated well and he would behave and not harm his owners. For his own sake.

After the father and son left, Archie praised Petra for her work with the cub. He asked that she continue teaching future juvenile acquisitions to melt the hearts of prospective buyers. Petra nodded and went back to the courtyard, eyes lingering on the newly empty enclosure.

* * *

Petra woke that night to the barking of the dogs. She also heard several of the horses neigh. As quickly as the noise started, it stopped. Something had startled the animals briefly. The woman lay in bed a few moments before she got up. She felt the need to make sure nothing was wrong.

The young woman cautiously got out of bed, not bothering to change out of her nightgown and crept to the door. She opened it a crack and peered outside.

Petra was surprised to find that someone was holding a lantern in the courtyard. It took only a moment to recognize that it was Archie. Petra frowned in confusion. What was he doing out there so late at night? Maybe he was checking up on the animals? Curious, Petra continued to spy on whatever the man was doing.

Archie was tapping his foot as he held the lantern up, illuminating himself and the area around him. He was waiting for something. Petra crouched down and opened the door a little more to poke her head outside. There was no light anywhere near her, so Archie would hopefully not be able to see her. It was normally pitch black this time of night.

A minute later, Petra found out what her employer was waiting so impatiently for. Two men, one carrying another lantern, entered the courtyard. Petra hadn't realized the gate to the courtyard was open until then. One man carried something over his shoulder. It was a large bundle with cloth and rope wrapped around it.

"God damn, I am glad this thing is passed out. It killed half our men. I hope whoever buys it makes sures it suffers!" She faintly heard the voice of one of the men growl. Archie hissed something at them but it was too low for Petra to hear. The men nodded and followed Archie. He led them to the cellar. Petra remembered that it had once housed the white tiger. Were they putting a new, rare animal down there? Something quite vicious if what she heard was correct. The woman felt a pang of sympathy for the animal. The cellar was not a good place to be housed.

Petra stayed awake and at the door until the men came back out an unidentifiable amount of time later. Archie stayed behind while the two newcomers hurried out of the courtyard, slowly shutting the gate behind them. Archie then turned around looking over the courtyard. His eyes then turned to her location.

Petra froze, her heart racing. He couldn't see her could he? Archie glanced away after a few moments and turned back to his manor. Confused, Petra returned to bed, wondering what the hell she just witnessed. Something about the whole thing seemed wrong.

* * *

The next morning Petra noticed right away that Archie was in a strangely good mood. He didn't criticize her work, or that of his other employees as checked up on them. The young woman also noticed he eyed her suspiciously from time to time as she did her duties.

"Tell me Miss Ral, how have you been sleeping?" Archie asked suddenly, his gaze almost piercing when she turned to him.

"I beg you pardon, sir?" Petra replied, knowing why he was asking this but feigning ignorance. His question made her suspicious of the night before. Would he tell her about the new animal?

"I mean to say, how comfortable are your quarters? I hope you have not been kept up lately."

"Umm, quite comfortable sir. I've been told I can sleep anywhere and that I sleep like a rock." Petra forced a smile at her words. Her heart began to beat faster.

"Truly?" He mused, he seemed to be judging her. "Miss Ral, how long have you been working here now?"

"3 months, sir." She replied cheerily.

"Ah, that's right. I hired you after that buffoon killed my rarest beast. You've done remarkably well in taking care of the animals for being so young."

"Thank you, sir." Petra bowed her head at the praise.

"It would be such a shame if something happened to you, I think." He muttered lowly to himself.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't hear that." Petra had in fact heard the remark but she was playing it safe. His words had almost sounded threatening.

"I just said I hope you plan to work for me long into the future." Archie lied.

"Thank you again, sir."

Archie left her then and Petra sighed in relief, her heart rate returning to normal. So her suspicions were right. There was something odd about what happened last night. It was probably best to leave it alone but Petra needed to know what was in that cellar. Archie had done something wrong, she felt.

The woman vowed to find out what that was.


End file.
